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Is Niccolò Machiavelli's political theory--the ends justify the means--incompatible with the Knights Radiant's First Oath?
No. Although many of the Orders of Knights Radiant would find Machiavelli's theory, that the ends justify the means, incompatible with additional oaths and/or values of that Order, there are some Orders who could accept a Machiavellian. (Brandon said that the Skybreakers are where a Machiavellian could find a home.)
All right. So...things do get confusing whenever I'm trying to circumlocute spoilers. I could have smacked myself for forgetting to mention "no spoilers" before the Q&A. I keep forgetting that there are many readers who are not as sensitive to these things as I am. (Though one woman did gasp in the row behind that guy asking the question--as his original one mentioned Sadeas's death, I believe.)
I will say that there are multiple people I'd consider well on the path to being Radiants by the end of Book Three, and several of these would--shall we say--dispute KR traditions from the past, specifically on this subject matter. (What makes someone eligible to become a KR.) So this discussion is relevant for multiple reasons.
I wasn't trying to drop any bombs about Adolin, however, as I remain very solidly in RAFO territory about his future.
Thank you for taking the time to clarify this one Mr Sanderson.
This WoB created a massive shock-wave all across the fandom and many readers were taking you had officially confirmed Adolin was "well on his way towards Knighthood" which I was personally convinced was very deeply into the RAFO territory, as it should be.
Perhaps in order to also settle some additional debates, would you say Adolin would challenge what has traditionally made someone eligible to become a KR or is this within RAFO territory too? Readers can never seem to agree on how perfect Adolin actually is. We seem to find rationals for both.
I hate to use terms like "perfect" or the like. It's even difficult to (when not speaking in world) use some of the terminology the KR have used in the past--as we have to reconcile several things.
How do you decide what is a mental illness and what is simply a person's unique brain chemistry? Usually this comes down to two factors--the person's own feelings on it and the advice of medical professionals. Even language like "Well-adjusted," as I used before, is dangerous territory because it's so subjective. One need look only to the deaf community to find examples of people who challenge an outsider's perspective of what is a disease and what isn't.
So I generally prefer to talk about this through the character's viewpoint, the lens of historical commentary (which is in world, and may not therefore be accurate--but at least offers a perspective,) and the context of the book.
And in that context, I like Adolin being a RAFO. I believe that using the text, there are multiple directions one could go in discussing him.
How was Nale able to keep recruiting Skybreakers even after the Recreance?
The spren simply didn't leave, and kept bonding Radiants.
One. Can there be Nahel Bonds with more then ten types of spren because we have ten Orders.
Meaning, are there other possible spren that could form other Orders of Knights Radiant that are not the ten? This is theoretically possible, but that is basically what you could argue is happening to Renarin. So now if you want to say... if you want to throw out the exception of spren who were one of the ten who got changed, then this is theoretically possible but right now currently wouldn't work.
I've heard it is possible to be a Radiant of two orders - it would depend on spren and ideals, and may be difficult to handle, but is theoretically possible. How about being a Willshaper and an Edgedancer at the same time? Could that work?
I'll have to RAFO that, I'm afraid.
Are the Dawnsingers an order of Knights Radiant?
No, they are not.
What is the most powerful Radiant Order? Bondsmith?
"Power" is related to situation, perception, and need. A Bondsmith can probably draw the most raw investiture, depending on the situation--but comparisons like this ignore the heart of the matter. I don't look at people in the cosmere as having a "power level," because I don't consider it to be a good measure of the way the stories will play out.
Have we-- I think you mentioned in a previous signing that we'd already met one member of every Order of the Knights Radiant.
Yes, I think you have.
My question is, have we met two Edgedancers? And is one of the Dustbringers a viewpoint character?
One of the Dustbringers is eventually a point-of-view character.
Haven't been yet?
No, not yet, I don't think. But it depends if you count the Heralds as members of their order.
I don't.
Oh, see I would, because they're kind of heads of their Order. If you don't count them you have not met some from every Order.
Have we met someone from the Dustbringers?
Well-- Dustbringers are really complicated. Really complicated. So that's the weird one. Okay? So let's shelve that one. You'll see why it's really weird later on.
If Kelsier had been born on Roshar, would he have become a Knight Radiant and if so...?
I think there’s a possibility that some of the orders might want him, but it really depends on what period he was born in, and what he’s up to, because Kelsier's got this dark edge to him where he could go villain very easily, depending on what’s going on with him. *pause* That’s kind of how I view Kelsier’s defining attribute, if channeled correctly he’s a great force for good, but he’s like right on the line.
Do you ever plan to update the Knights Radiant quiz, when we've seen all the Orders in the books?
Yeah, I could imagine us doing that once you've seen all the Orders. But we used a lot of information from me and my wiki and my knowledge of those Orders to make those, but the Orders could tweak as I write them, so it's totally possible that we will change things.
That would take quite a while, because it's basically saying, by Book Ten we maybe will have changed some of these.
What's your favorite order of the Knights Radiant and why, and which are you most exited to expand upon.
I would say that my favorite is probably the Windrunners, just because, y'know, they do the stuff that I would want to do but I really want to talk about the Stonewards because the stuff they do is going to be very visually interesting.
What’s the most dangerous non-Shard thing in the cosmere?
Nightblood’s up there, Hoid is up there, but not deadly dangerous, a different type of dangerous, yeah no, what we know of, right now, those, those are in the running. Chasmfiends, chasmfiends are pretty nasty. Whitespines are a little more nasty probably. The… the Unmade are pretty nasty. Yeah. There’s a couple of mercenary troops that you haven’t met yet that are really quite, quite dangerous, I would list them as well.
Lopen clearly states he doesn't consider himself a broken character, like all the other Knights. Do you consider him a broken character?
I do not. And, again, "broken" is a term with a lot of baggage, let's point that out. I would rather use the terminology that a given person is comfortable with, and let them put definitions on that themselves. Because the way I view it, I don't really view most people as "broken," even if they may use that terminology. What they might have is, they might have certain mental health issues that they haven't yet figured out how to work with that are integral to who they are. But not broken, just still practicing. And that's how I would define a lot of people, but I don't get to define it for those people, if that makes sense.
And one of the things I like to do is to have a variety of viewpoints in my stories, to make sure I'm kind of running the gamut on this, and I think some of the characters in my stories would say, "Yeah. Something in me's broken. You can talk about all the funny business you want, Brandon, about just needing to practice. Something in me's broken, and I need to learn to deal with that. Either fix it, or learn to not let it ruin me." And there are people that I've talked to, that that's how they've described it.
I've talked to other people who say, "No, I'm not broken. 'Broken' implies I'm a less valuable person, because of that phrasing." That is something that I never want to imply. And so it is a dangerous word to use. I let people in fiction use it, because people in real life use it. But just wanted you to be aware of that.
So, the idea that a person needs to be "broken" to be a Knight Radiant is a part of the world that a lot of people talk about. I actually intend Lopen to be a counterargument to that. But people in-world would disagree with me. They'd say, "No no no, he's got some of these things." But if Lopen has them, we all have them. So there are no not-broken people, which also makes the word "broken" just completely wrong phrase to use, if that makes sense.
So, that is how I view it. But I admit that some of my characters would disagree with me.
Will the Everstorm result in a influx of Radiants?
RAFO.
Which is your favorite Unmade?
RAFO. We'll see, I don't know if I have a favorite yet.
Do the names of the Unmade correlate to the fragmentation of their spirits?
No. Good question.
Is there anything about the Stonewards that you can share that's not a RAFO? I know they're coming later.
They are coming later, so not really. They were more of the Knights Radiant front line troops, as opposed to the Windrunners who were scouts. But you probably already knew that.
Could you maybe trap an Unmade in one of those paintings from one of your Secret Projects?
That is a RAFO. It's an excellent question.
Can Radiants have kids?
Yes.
Can they heal their kids?
Can they heal their kids?
Like, during the process.
During... like, in-utero?
Yes.
Yes.
Did the Knights Radiants create the Shattered Plains?
That’s a RAFO.
Why is it that Allomancers and Feruchemists get either one or all of the powers? Radiants / Surgebinders being limited to two Surges makes sense, because it depends on the type of spren they bond with, but Allomancers?
I'm not ready to answer this one yet, I'm afraid. So it's a RAFO.
Fair enough. Is this something we'll see explored in future (far future?) books, or will we need to bug you about it during signings / AMAs every few years?
It will explored in far future books, most likely.
So we know some Orders are of-- Radiant are of Honor and Cultivation, right? So Jasnah is more logical and is definitely kind of, you know, set in stone about her ways. But Shallan, she's got a lot of personal growth and I know-- So I'm wondering is Shallan like one of the Orders that is of Cultivation?
In their-- They would theorize that's more Cultivation than Honor.
Are you ever gonna make an official quiz that sorts people into Knights-- Knights Radiant?
You know, I'm less likely to do a quiz and more likely to do a list of-- kind of attributes and traits and requirements. I feel that some people are more likely to be able to sort themselves than a quiz sorting them. Granted, it does depend on the spren also, so there are two parties in this. And so, you don't have absolute influence over which order you might end up in. But it is possible to be viable as a candidate for multiple orders and it also is going to depend on the spren.
Are the Unmade Splinters of Odium?
Yes. Good guess.
Could a person, irreparably incapable of speech, become a radiant?
Yes.
Are there enough perfect gemstones on Roshar to capture all of the Unmade?
Yes, there are.
Can the Unmade be bonded?
Wow, plausible... Yes, or possible, I should say.
Hey! If you had the correct Intent in mind, could you Command a Lifeless to follow a Knight's Radiant Ideal? Like could you command it to "Protect those who cannot protect themselves"
Yes, this would be possible, though it would depend on the Lifeless and circumstances on how good a job they do at it. The command is a little abstract, and could end up not working as well as you want it to.
Can a Shardblade come back to life?
This is something that has never happened on Roshar yet. Now they didn't have many opportunities for it to happen in the past, because it was rare for a Radiant to break their oaths. It is not something that's happened and the spren think it's impossible.
Longevity of Radiants. So, I, before [Oathbringer], thought that they were immortal. So, they're not?
No.
Do they have longer lifespans?
Slightly. They're very healthy, but it's not an unusually expanded lifespan.
Can you say what would happen if Lift swallowed a gemstone trapping an Unmade?
...Uh, hahaha. Uh, I'll RAFO that, but that's not that there's something there, it's just that I'm RAFOing that.
I noticed most of the Unmade have a Middle Eastern mythology inspiration, and could pair them with deities, but I couldn't find a fit for two: Yelig-nar and Ba-Ado-Mishram. Could you tell us their names' origin?
Those two are actully not Middle Eastern but actually inspired by Lovecraft.
The Knights Radiants have access to two Surges each, are the two Surges completely seperate or can they be combined together? Something like maybe allowing a Lightweaver to create a solid illusion by combining their Illumination Surge and their Soulcasting?
Essentially, do each of the Orders have a special talent only they can do that isn't available to any other Order?
Yes, they do, but it's not always directly obvious in a straightforward way, such as your example.
Would the lashing system be an example of this? Full lashings apppear to be mostly Adhesion and and the basic lashing seems to be mostly Gravitational, does this mean Bondsmiths will be able do full lashings and Skybreakers can use partial and basic lashings?
RAFO.
Are the Unmade actually spren as Taravangian thinks they are?
As far as anyone knows. I'm not going to answer other than that.
Can holders of Shards give them up voluntarily? If so, what would happen?
Yes, a Vessel for a Shard of Adonalsium can give up their power if they wish.
As for what would happen...well, there are some variables in there. Kind of like the variables in what happens to a bucket of water if you dump it out. Depends on where it falls, how strong the wind is, what the air is like.
Power dropped like this, if left alone, could end up Splintering and turning into something like spren/seons. It could become something more like the Stormfather--a large, self-aware entity. It could become something like the Dor or many of the Unmade--something proto-aware, but not truly an individual. There are other possibilities as well, depending on lots of factors. (Are sapient beings involved? what is being done with the power--is it concentrated in the Spiritual Realm as normal, or is it being pushed somewhere else?)
Can Odium influence people the same way that Ruin can?
Well, you see, the kandra and the koloss have a "hole" in them that allows Ruin to come in and take over. The Parshendi naturally are protected from this, but when they expose themselves to the storms, and the spren come in, many of these spren have that kind of "hole" in them, and that's what allows Odium to take control of them.
No, I'm talking about how Ruin was able to push people, place things in their minds, stuff like that. Can Odium do the same thing?
Well, Odium wasn't around when those people were created, so it's a little different for him than Ruin. So if he influences people in that way, it's through the Unmade.
You once mentioned something called "Honor's purposes" to Argent/Evgeni. Are these purposes the same or related to the core theme of each of the Knights Radiant Orders? For example, unity, protection, justice.
That gives me a lot of wiggle room. Related to, yes, but that's a wiggly answer.
Did Unmade exist in the First Desolation?
Which definition of First Desolation are we using?
...Prior to the Heralds being made?
We'll go RAFO.
Are the Cognitive Shadows on Braize the Shades of the Knights Radiant?
*RAFO card* There you are, there you are!
Did Dalinar use his Bondsmith abilities to catch Nergaoul?
What happened here has happened before, but a Bondsmith was involved then too. However, Dalinar's personal connection to the Unmade was very important.
So the Unmade that caused the False Desolation is trapped in a gem. Are they still there?
RAFO.
Did all orders of Knights Radiants use Shardplate?
It was available to all of them, and they could (all) use it. Many Knights (not Orders) chose not to. There were Knights who were not soldiers and had not interest in wearing Shardplate.
I know Hemalurgy [has to go to mix and match powers], would it be possible to use Feruchemy for Connection to hack into multiple Knights Radiant, kind of act as a Squire to more than one at the same time.
Great question! I think you could make this work. I think it would take a little bit of legwork, but I think what you're wanting to do could indeed work. More likely in that case though, you could probably be a Squire to multiple Orders. *Hesitantly* Yeah...I think that would work, but I don't think it's the easiest way to do what you want to do. I think there are easier ways.
Someone asked you last year if the Unmade could be bonded and you said technically yes. Have we seen any evidence of this, or will we?
Uhh, you-- Eh-- Not yet, no. It doesn't really happen. Technically it could but it just doesn't really happen.
Is it possible for a Knight Radiant to become a kind of Drab if they use too much Investiture?
No, you can't really burn yourself out that way, no. I mean, it's possible for drabbery to be mimicked on other planets, but it wouldn't be through that method.
In Chapter 19 of The Way of Kings, when Dalinar has a vision of fighting Voidbringers (maybe something else?) as a farmer, he says that he felt the Thrill in the vision. Does this mean that Nergaoul was active there, at the time that vision was "recorded" or was it Dalinar's viewing of the vision that was affected by the Thrill? Would the actual person whose perspective he was seeing have felt the Thrill if he had fought?
This is a great question, and one I've never been asked before. The answer is going to be a little vague.
First, Dalinar could have felt the Thrill from Nergaoul, and imported it into the vision.
Second, Nergaoul could have been active then, and the farmer could have felt it when he fought.
So both theories are valid. Which is it? I am going to hang back from answering this for now, as I am digging more into the Unmade in a future book.
The last Unmade, the one that's hypothesized to Dai-Gonarthis. It looks suspiciously to me like Cusicesh, because of the feeling of being drained, because it's a large spren-- Is there something to that or is the feeling just because Cusicesh is a large spren?
I'm gonna RAFO.
Ba-Ado-Mishram. Just the name sounds a little bit like a Shin name to me because they're all 'Somebody son Somebody' or 'Somebody daughter Somebody', was she a Shin woman at one point?
I'll RAFO that cause that comes down to, they even asked this in Oathbringer, were they people or not?
'Cause one of them says they needed to be made and then unmade.
Mmhmm, so I do not feel I've explicitly said either way.
And you haven't, no.
For the Honorblades, if somebody that was already a Radiant used an Honorblade, would they get that Surge also?
It is possible to get multiples, yes.
